On the Prowl (7 page)

To Delaine, Justin’s kisses were like chocolate—rich and addictive. She couldn’t hold back her soft moans as he nibbled and sucked on her tongue. He pressed closer and she gulped. Lord, the man was hard as a rock and huge against her stomach. Feeling his arousal did wicked things to her body. Good thing her wardrobe hadn’t been delivered yet. That little inconvenience meant a pair of granny panties was getting soaked under her little black dress instead of her usual itty-bitty thong. All hail granny panties! A thong would have been drenched and completely good for nothing by now.

They returned to their table and talked, kissed and held hands until well past two in the morning. As he saw her to her car, Justin was genuinely pleased he’d shown her a good time. Unable to resist one more kiss, he leaned down far enough to take one more kiss as she sat behind the wheel. Delaine responded hungrily, as if she’d never see him again and had to get her fill of him right now. That lip lock singed the hair on his toes and left him clenching his teeth, fighting for control as he closed the door and stepped away from her car.

She pulled away from the curb and his smile faded. He started his Jag and flipped on the secure cell phone link hidden in the dash. A few seconds later the beep signaling the end of transmission sounded. The digital photo he’d quietly taken of Delaine was sent.

* * * * *

“Hey, Geri, it’s Delaine. Sorry to call so late but it’s the first chance I had today.”

“No problem. What’s going on?”

“So far so good at Astin. I met Brian Baker. A real sleaze,” she grunted into the phone, fighting with her high heels, trying to toe them off as she sat down at her laptop. “You’re a genius, by the way. My badge got me access to The Vault. How you managed to get the encryption key to work, I’ll never know.”

“That’s why they pay me the big bucks,” Geri chided. “That, and getting your butt out of there in one piece. Have you come up with any evidence yet on what Baker is doing?”

“Not quite, but I’m working on it. I’ve got a tail, Ger, and she’s slowing me down. Can you check her out for me?”

“Sure, send me a digital.”

Delaine pressed the send button on the encrypted e-mail program and said, “It’s on the way to you now. Her name is Sarah Ann Crosby,” she said on a wistful sigh.

“What was that?”

“What was what?”

“That dreamy sigh you just let slip is what,” Geri said matter-of-factly.

Delaine should have known better. Geri Studebaker had been a top agent back in her day. She didn’t run the most secretive law enforcement agency for nothing. The woman didn’t miss anything and her deductive reasoning was second to none. Hell, she could probably figure out what Delaine’s motive had been for things she’d done back in grade school.

“You’re not going to believe this, but I met someone tonight. Ger, he’s so fine, and smart.”

“What’s his name?”

“Justin.”

“Justin what?”

“Oh my god, I have no idea,” Delaine said in amazement. A name, a whole name, was usually the first thing she got out of a person when first meeting them. She had no idea of his profession either, having just asked about his career when she’d gotten the grand idea of teasing him with that stupid apple tart. The end result—Justin had almost choked to death and she’d pounded on his back like she was tenderizing a tough side of beef.

“Just be careful, Delaine.”

“Will do, boss. Good night.”

Delaine shut down her computer and then walked around the house, checking security. Once in bed, she tucked her gun under her pillow and summoned Sapa onto this plane.

‘Come to me, Sapa.’

The black lioness shimmered into a relaxed heap on the floor next to Delaine’s bed. She licked her paws and replied, *
Yes, Suta?
*

Delaine hadn’t been this wound up in, well, never. She reached down and rubbed Sapa between her ears in a gesture that soothed both her and the great cat. “What do you really think of the man we met tonight?” Delaine asked anxiously.

*
He will make a worthy mate
.*

“I just met him, Sapa. How could you possibly know?” Delaine paused as an idea popped into her head. “And why didn’t you tell me whether Gary was a worthy mate or not?” Delaine ground her back teeth, agitated at having asked the question before she’d really thought it out. She already knew the answer, and Sapa, if anything, was straightforward and a lover of I-told-you-so’s.

*
If you recall, Suta, I expressed dislike for the Gary person several times before you married him. Yet, I am your guide, not your master. You will do as you will
.*

“Yeah, yeah, I remember,” Delaine sighed. The fact that she’d never shared Sapa with Gary spoke volumes. “By the way, thanks for the heads-up in the ladies room. Who was the blonde woman in my house begging for help? I assume the woman tied to the chair was a different one. What did the vision mean? Who are those women?”

*
I was not told or shown. But do not worry. We are never given a glimpse of things to come in order to hurt us, always to aid us. Now sleep. We must rest for tomorrow
.*

“Tomorrow? Other than my hair appointment with Pam, there’s nothing going on tomorrow.”

But Sapa only purred, her long feline tongue lolling to the side as she began to disappear. Oh lord, the lioness was grinning.

“Sapa, you come back here!” Delaine called. “What happens tomorrow, you stubborn old thing you!”

Sapa sent serenity and reassurance along their bond as she shimmered away to her quiet place inside Delaine’s mind.

Delaine was asleep in seconds, her dreams filled with a redheaded, six–and–a–half– foot, gorgeous hunk of a blue-eyed man.

Chapter Five

Who in the world could be calling her this early in the morning? Delaine grumbled, rolled over in her bed and snatched the phone off the hook. “Hello?”

“Hi, Mom!”

“Hey, babies! How are you?” she said happily, bolting straight up in the bed, now wide awake. “What are you two doing today?”

“We’re working in La Boulainge for brunch,” said Tanna, her oldest.

“Then we’re going to play a round of golf. Finally!” Michael declared. He was Tanna’s spitting image, born only a few minutes behind his sister. Both were enrolled in the Le Cordon Bleu culinary bachelor’s degree program, and Delaine was infinitely proud of them. They’d taken the departure of their father with amazing grace and rallied around her like little soldiers during that rough time. They still had a relationship with their dad, though by his and his mistress-turned-new-wife’s choosing, it was somewhat cool.

“We just called to check on you. How do you like Charlotte?” Tanna asked.

“It’s nice. Lots to do, plenty to see. You’ll love the house. Most of my upcoming assignments are on the East Coast, so I’ll be staying here for a while.”

“Will our stuff get there in time for Christmas break?”

“Yep. And I can either set up your rooms before you get here, or wait until you arrive so you can pick which rooms you want.”

“It doesn’t matter to us. Can’t wait to see you. The next two months are going to feel like forever, Mom,” Michael’s deep voice filled the line.

“I look forward to seeing you too, sweetie.”

“We’ve gotta run,” Tanna said, always the diligent one. Shooing her brother off the phone she said, “We’ll call you next week, Mom.”

Delaine felt a tug along the bond. “Oh, Sapa says hello to you both. She misses you as much as I do.”

“Hi, Sapa!” they chimed in unison. “Love you, Mom! Bye.”

“Love you too.”

Even as tired as she was, she was so jazzed at hearing from her children she couldn’t possibly go back to sleep now. With that, Delaine was out of bed and headed to the shower.

While she lathered up in the oversized stall, thoughts of her children filled her mind along with a nagging guilt she hadn’t felt in a long time.

Tanna and Michael still had no idea she was a spy. Front companies like Aegis understood that agents, especially those with families, needed to maintain as normal a life as possible. Since she had kids, and used to have a husband, most of her traveling had been limited to short take-downs where they were pretty sure who was up to no good. All she had to do was go in, get the evidence and get out. It usually amounted to a few days here and there with the pretense that she was away training pharmaceutical manufacturers how to use her company’s software or help them map their production processes. Perfect cover for her high-tech persona.

She used to question why she couldn’t share her profession with her family. After all, she was providing a valuable service by taking scum off the streets by infiltrating their organizations and taking them down. But after so many years of firsthand experience with the kind of ruthlessness these criminals possessed, she was glad neither her ex-husband nor children knew what she did for a living. Ignorance was the best form of protection. And Aegis protected them well. After all, Delaine Jeris wasn’t even her real name.

The steam felt good, but her conscience nagged. She’d just met a fabulous guy whom she wouldn’t mind seeing again, but it had been forever since she’d had to do the “hide my identity” thing with a potential lover. She cringed at the memory of how she’d almost slipped and told him her real name last night. With Gary, she’d had years to adjust until keeping her job secret was second nature. But what face should she wear with this new Justin guy? And why did she wish she could wear none at all?

‘Come to me, Sapa,’ she whispered to her best friend and guide.

*
I am here, Suta, but I will not get into that water with you.
*

Delaine laughed at Sapa’s dry humor. She’d learned as a little girl that the lioness despised playing in water. One summer while visiting her grandma on the reservation, her cousins tossed a non-swimming Delaine into the lake. Floundering to stay afloat, she’d screeched for Sapa to help her. Her cousins thought she’d suddenly perfected her dog-paddling technique. What they hadn’t seen was Sapa’s big black back holding her head above water, trying to get her to shore with all haste. Delaine’s threats to tell her grandma sent her cousins fleeing, while a very angry Sapa wished she could sink her fangs into their backsides. Never mind the fact Delaine only had to put her feet down to touch bottom. Sapa had growled, hissed and, to Delaine’s surprise, cursed a blue streak until her supernatural fur dried out.

Delaine pressed her lips together as the lioness’ corporeal form stalked around the large bathroom. A giggle bubbled out of her throat just as Sapa chose a nice cool spot on the tile floor near the sunken bathtub, flopped down and regarded her charge. Delaine laughed outright at the sound of Sapa’s droll voice.

*
It is a dreadful memory
.*

‘I’m sorry, Sapa, but it’s funny. Now. At the time I was terrified. But that’s not why I called you to this plane.’ With that, Delaine stuck her face under the shower of water and groaned. God that felt good. Too bad her mind couldn’t enjoy it.

‘Sapa, what’s going on with me? I feel so…unsteady.’

*
There is nothing wrong with you, Suta. Your name, Suta Winyan, means Strong Woman. You are, and have always been, a strong woman. Even now when you feel unsure.
*

‘But why do I feel this way? I’ve never had a problem doing my job before.’

*
Performing your duties is not the issue. Deceiving our mate is the issue
.*

‘He is NOT our mate,’ Delaine protested hotly, not sure why.

*
And you know this how?
*

Delaine scrunched up her face and regarded Sapa like the stubborn little girl she’d been when they’d met. She rolled her eyes instead. The great hunter lay on her side yawning, not paying the least bit of attention to Delaine’s face. But then, she didn’t need to.

‘God, what is it about this guy? I don’t even know him and I want to tell him everything. What makes me want to…hell, I don’t know. I’ve never been affected by anyone like this. Not even my ex-husband, and I was married to him forever.’

*
Do you have to mention the puny Gary man? It makes my stomach upset and gives me the urge to eat grass
.*

“Sapa, you only eat grass when you feel sick or nauseous.”